On Friday, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced he would attend the 2023 BRICS summit in Johannesburg, South Africa. The summit begins on Tuesday. This marks yet another move by Beijing towards strengthening its relations with Africa.

Xi’s visit comes at an unstable time in South Africa. The country has been struck by a series of political and economic crises. Notably, the South African parliament voted last month to prevent Russian President Vladimir Putin from visiting the country for the summit, in accordance with the International Criminal Court’s ruling against him. South African politicians were deeply divided on this decision, with EFF leader Julius Malema, along with many ANC politicians, siding with the Russian President.